ENGL204: Cultural and Literary Expression in Modernity

Unit 5: The Shift to Post-ModernismNow that we have a better grasp of “modernism,” we will attempt to
identify and evaluate the distinctive features of a new literary moment:
the post-modern. How does “post-modernism” differ from “modernism,”
and what concerns do they share? As we move through some of the most
provocative and challenging works of the 20th century in this
unit, we will situate the post-modernist’s poetics within the Modern
Period and its ever-evolving understanding of the relationship between
representation and reality.

Unit 5 Time Advisory
This unit should take approximately 20 hours to complete.

☐ Subunit 5.1: 6 hours

☐
Subunit 5.1.1: 2 hours

☐
Subunit 5.1.2: 1 hour

☐
Subunit 5.1.3: 1 hour

☐
Subunit 5.1.4: 2 hours

☐ Subunit 5.2: 4 hours

☐ Subunit 5.3: 3 hours

☐ Subunit 5.4: 4 hours

☐ Subunit 5.5: 3 hours

Unit5 Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

Define “postmodernism” as both a historical period as well as a
movement in literature, culture, and the arts.

List the tenets of postmodernism and explain the basic premises of
deconstruction as both a theory and a movement in literary and
cultural studies.

Compare and contrast the postmodern elements found in the work of a
range of literary figures, including Samuel Beckett, Jorge Luis
Borges, and Vladimir Nabokov.

Also available in: (The Postmodern Psyche)
[HTML, Adobe Flash, Mp3 or
QuickTime](http://oyc.yale.edu/english/engl-300/lecture-15)
[iTunes
U](http://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/15-the-postmodern-psyche/id341652697?i=63753405)
Also available in: (The Political Unconscious)
[HTML, Adobe Flash, Mp3 or
QuickTime](http://oyc.yale.edu/english/engl-300/lecture-18)
[iTunes
U](http://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/18-the-political-unconscious/id341652697?i=63753401)
Instructions: Please watch the lectures linked here (each of the
two lectures is about 50 minutes in length).
Terms of Use: Paul H. Fry, Introduction to the Theory of Literature
(Yale University: Open Yale Courses),
<http://oyc.yale.edu> (Accessed February 23, 2011). License:
[Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/). The
original versions can be found
[here](http://oyc.yale.edu/english/engl-300#sessions).

5.1.2 What Is a Text? Re-Defining Textual Boundaries in the
Post-Modern World
- Reading: Ubu.com: Roland Barthes’ “The Death of the Author”
Link: Ubu.com: Roland Barthes’ "The Death of the
Author"(HTML)

Instructions: Please scroll down the webpage, click on the link
“The Death of the Author,” and read the entirety of this essay.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Terms of Use: The linked material above has been reposted by the
kind permission of Dr. Dino Felluga, and can be viewed in its
original form
here.
Please note that this material is under copyright and cannot be
reproduced in any capacity without explicit permission from the
copyright holder.

Also available in: (Deconstruction I)
[HTML, Adobe Flash, Mp3 or
QuickTime](http://oyc.yale.edu/english/engl-300/lecture-10)
[iTunes
U](http://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/10-deconstruction-i-jacques/id341652697?i=63753391)
Also available in: (Deconstruction II)
[HTML, Adobe Flash, Mp3 or
QuickTime](http://oyc.yale.edu/english/engl-300/lecture-11)
[iTunes
U](http://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/11-deconstruction-ii-paul/id341652697?i=63753397)
Instructions: Please watch the entire lectures linked here. Each
of the two lectures is about 50 minutes in length.
Terms of Use: Paul H. Fry, Introduction to the Theory of Literature
(Yale University: Open Yale Courses),
<http://oyc.yale.edu> (Accessed February 23, 2011). License:
[Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
3.0](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/). The
original version can be found
[here](http://oyc.yale.edu/english/engl-300#sessions).

Also available in:
[eText Format for the
Kindle](http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Godot-English-Tragicomedy-ebook/dp/B002HK4CI2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1278957665&sr=1-1)
(Available for Purchase for $3.95)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of Acts I and II of
Beckett’s play. There is a link to move on to Act II at the very
bottom of Act I’s webpage.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

5.3 Academic Analysis of Beckett's Godot5.3.1 The Relationship Between Language and Being in “Waiting for
Godot”
- Reading: Florida State University: Dr. Aspasia Velissariou’s
“Language in Waiting for Godot” from Journal of Beckett Studies
Link: Florida State University: Dr. Aspasia Velissariou’s
“Language in Waiting for Godot” from Journal of Beckett
Studies
(HTML)

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

5.3.2 Re-Conceptualizing Identity in “Waiting for Godot”
- Reading: University of Central Florida: Florida Philosophical
Review’s version of Dr. John Valentine’s “Nihilism and Eschaton in
Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot”
Link: University of Central Florida: Florida Philosophical Review’s
version of Dr. John Valentine’s “Nihilism and Eschaton in Samuel
Beckett’s Waiting for
Godot” (PDF)

Instructions: To view this PDF document, please follow the link
above and find the essay title under the Table of Contents; click on
the title to open a dialog box with a link to the PDF. Please
download and read the entirety of Dr. Valentine’s article on
Beckett’s play (12 pages).

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

Instructions: Please follow the link; above the description of the
book, find and follow the link "Excerpts" to open the PDF document.
Please read the entirety of the excerpt from the first chapter of
Brooks’ text.
About the Link: Yale University Press has made available for
download online this excerpt from Brooks’ text, which the press has
published in print.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use
displayed on the webpage above.

5.4 Borges and New Frontiers in Short Fiction5.4.1 The Figure of the Labyrinth and the Complexity of Structure in
Borges’ Short Stories
- Reading: Swarthmore College: Paul Willenberg’s “Biographical
Sketch” of Jorge Luis Borges and version of Borges’ “The Library of
Babel”
Links: Swarthmore College: Paul Willenberg’s “Biographical
Sketch” of Jorge Luis
Borges
(HTML) and version of Borges’ “The Library of
Babel”
(HTML)

Instructions: Please read the entirety of Willenberg’s biography
of Borges and his version of Borges’ short story by clicking on the
link for “The Library of Babel” in the column on the left-hand side
of the screen.

About the Links: Paul Willenberg maintains this website on Borges
through Swarthmore College’s server.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyrights and terms of use
displayed on the webpages above.

Instructions: Please read the entirety of Dr. Bahri’s introduction
to “Magical Realism” and Monograffi.com’s “What Is Magic Realism
Art” and “Magical Realism Time Capsule.” Please also scroll across
and view all of the examples of Magic Realist art provided by the
third hyperlink above.

Terms of Use: Please respect the copyrights and terms of use
displayed on the webpages above.